How to Upload Great Photos to Google Maps

Whether you are collecting points, boosting your view counts, or just sharing something beautiful, Local Guides love to add photos to Google Maps. After 10+ years in the photo industry I’m happy to be a part of Local Guides and have the opportunity to share my tips on creating better photo content.

First, we’ll kick it off with some tips on how to shoot the best photos possible. No matter what kind of camera you have, you can use these tips and tricks to create more engaging images.

Extreme Camera Angles

Bird’s eye view and worm’s eye view aren’t great when you’re capturing a building’s exterior or interior. We want to see the entire building rather than tight crops and odd angles.

However, if you’re shooting food or details of places/things, feel free to play with angles!

Horizontal shots are best

but vertical is acceptable if the image looks just as good cropped horizontally.

Most places should be shot during the day unless they are well known for their night life.

Seasonally Agnostic

Places should be recognizable and not impacted by season/weather. (Stark winter shots, colorful fall shots, etc.)

UNLESS, a place is seasonal or defined by a season, like ski slopes!

Rules of Uploading to Google Maps

Just as important as taking good photos, knowing the rules of uploading images to Google Maps will help to ensure you earn and keep those Local Guides points.

Things to Avoid:

Intellectual Property Violations: We don’t allow images or any other content that infringes on anyone else’s legal rights, including copyright. This means, if it’s not your photo, don’t upload it! For more information, review our copyright procedures.

Someone gave me this photo, doesn’t that make it mine? Nope!

I saw it online and thought it belonged on Google Maps. Can I put it there? Unfortunately no. The owner must post it.

It’s an old photo. I’m sure that the copyright is no longer alive. Can I post it? Although there is a limitation on copyright over time, you should not post these images.

Spam: Images that have been uploaded repetitively, are excessively promotional, or that contain text superimposed over a large section of the image will be removed.

Just upload one!

Avoid large watermarks on images

Sexually explicit content

Illegal, dangerous, or violent content

Child endangerment

Harassment and threats

Personal or confidential information

Invasion or Privacy: Try to avoid posting photos where the main subject is an individual person.

Terms of Service

Whenever you upload anything to Google Maps, you are agreeing to our Terms of Service. Make sure you review these terms if you have any concerns over how and where your images will be used.

Photos must be added to a specific place on Google Maps to count for Local Guides points.

While that landscape photo might be beautiful, any photos you add to a place on Google Maps should be representative of that specific place.

That’s it for now! For more information, check out the resources below. Happy shooting and we can’t wait to see your images up on Maps!

@AnnaD Thanks for the very informative post about photography. I must say you are one of the best photographers in Google. I remember our LGSummit16 group photo taken by you at Doroles Park. That photo is really awesome.

I'm struggling with your description of 'seasonally agnostic' photos. I cannot make the distinction between the two photos of the statue other than one is taken in summer and the other in winter. What is the problem with these photos? The statue is instantly recognisable in both the photos. Please help!

I understand a seasonal agnostic as someone who claims neither faith nor disbelief in the changing seasons. Or it could mean don't take pictures in the winter unless you're skiing or playing pond hockey.

- Check out these helpful tips on searching, posting and interacting with the community.- Take a look at Using the Forums for all the other information you'd need when using Connect.- Introduce yourself! Take some time to share more about yourself than just a selfie. It will help other Local Guides to know you better :)

But as you read, you will know that Local Guides is a voluntary program. There are benefits that you unlock as you level up, but it's not a job.

Thanks @AnnaD ! These are great guidelines ! I would like to take the opportunity to ask if there will be interactive photo sphere functionality in the New Google+ . I joined Google+ primarily to share 360 images. The Classic G+ lets you click on the image and an interactive viewer opens right up. Thanks for offering great products and look forward to the advancements that Google will offer in 2017. Cheers - Nick

Although my numbers are feeling good after only a few months as a Local Guide, I am still a novice. Over 700,000 views; over 100,000 of those are fully-spherical panoramas; just a few points short of 500 (not sure what comes after that).

But anyway, I'm sure there is probably an app or Web address where I can ask so many questions (I probably got an email about that months ago) such as:

How do I update my email?

I've been using my old personal email until I saw whether I liked doing this (I'm now joyfully addicted), and once I hit a million views, I'd like to change to my Gmail set up for when I officially go full-time capturing panoramas (while still doing the snapshots voluntarily too).

Why do some panos link easily while others only SEEM to, but when you go back to inspect what you expect another day, they seem to have reverted back to separated without linking arrows. And others (like those done for Blueberry Hills Farm in rural Manson, Washington, USA), seem to successfully connect 6 photo-spheres actually don't.

There is likely a forum for this (or maybe this is the forum) and I just don't recall.

Wow, what do you rly mean? I live in norway where we have seasons. I get that some places and pictures look better in some seasons, but it is just backwords not to show how a place looks like in the other seasons. There is suchs a thing called winter turism.

What happens if someone linked photos from website? For example, someone linked photos from my Flickr or my pbase, I know it violates someone's copyright, but seems to me that nobody do anything about it.

As some of others, I donot fully take "Season/Weather Agnostic". There is always one of 4 seasons, so so I cannot avoid taking photos on "none" season. The same for weather, what is the correct weather? Sunny, cloudy, rainy, windy ... Anyway, sculpture on the not recommended photo is still visible, and anyone can recognize is well.

This was probably the best post I have personally seen online to date.

Just a small suggesstion however......

Forward this INSTRUCTIONAL post to Google Maps for the purpose of sending it out to future folks that Contribute their first couple of photo's. I believe it would have helped me a few times myself. So maybe we can help the newbies that are just getting started. Have a gret day exploring the WORLD!!!!